The Indiana Hoosiers are the seventh ranked team in the country, and they will face the #3 Oregon Ducks on the road this weekend. Indiana and Oregon are both undefeated entering this matchup.
The winner of this game is potentially going to be one step closer to reaching the BIG10 Conference title game. The quarterback battle between Fernando Mendoza of Indiana and Dante Moore of Oregon is something that will catch the attention of NFL scouts this weekend. Mendoza and Moore could potentially be first round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Personnel Staffer Praises Indiana Hoosiers QB Fernando Mendoza
Antonio Morales of the Athletic was previewing the upcoming big matchup of the weekend between Indiana and Oregon. The main headline of this game will be the quarterbacks. Well, Moore has thrived in Oregon’s system, and he started his college career with the UCLA Bruins.
As for Mendoza, this is the first year he is with Indiana. He spent the last two seasons with the California Golden Bears. It appears as if he fitting the Hoosiers offensive system perfectly and that is why the offense looks good.
A personnel staffer, whose program faced Indiana already this season said,
“That’s where I give those Indiana scout guys their praise because when we played him, you could see exactly what they saw out of him. I wasn’t really high on him at first, even when he went there. Like, he hasn’t really done much in terms of record and stuff like that, and that was the biggest thing with him. You don’t see the glaring stuff, then when you play against him, you see who he is.”
During the season so far, Mendoza has completed 71.3% of his passes for 1,208 yards, 16 touchdowns, and one interception. This Indiana offense has been perfect for him. What that being said, the same personnel staffer said about the Hoosiers starting quarterback,
“He’s so patient. He scans the field really well, especially pre-snap. We tried to throw some pressure at him early on, and he just wasn’t fazed by it. Probably the calmest quarterback (I’ve seen). He takes what they give him. That’s where we struggled when we played them. He’s very calm. You could tell he watches a lot of film.”
This is why he could potentially be a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Entering the season, it was unknown what Mendoza was going to be able to do with Indiana. What also helps him is that he has Elijah Sarrett on the roster. Sarrett could potentially be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft.
They also have a good running game and offensive line. Indiana doesn’t ask Mendoza to do much. What he is able to do for head coach Curt Cignetti is to make the right throws and not turn the football over also.
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